Claude Debussy started as a child prodigy who later became one of the most important French composers of all time. He was the oldest of five children of Manuel-Achille Debussy who owned a shop selling china and crockery and Victorine Manoury Debussy who was a seamstress. Claude began taking piano lessons at the age of seven. When he was only 10 years old, he attended the Paris Conservatory, studying piano. He moved on to study composition some time later. Claude Debussy was one of the most well-known figures associated with Impressionist music. Great Composers: Claude Debussy is just one of our series of incredible composers. What a great way to introduce your children to classical music. Each eBook in this series is meant to not be overwhelming. They provide a springboa...

Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov (also spelled Rachmaninoff) was a Russian composer known most for the way he impressively played piano. Most of his music was written for the piano. He produced romantic style symphonies. Rachmaninov was born in Semyonovo, located in Northern Russia. He showed great skill in music composition at a very young age and won a gold medal after writing his first opera, Aleko, at the age of 19. Some of his famous works include Prelude in CSharp Minor and the symphonies The Isle of the Dead and The Bells. Much of Rachmaninov's music has the sound of Russian bells and a Russian Romanticism style. Other well-known works by Rachmaninov are the Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini, Italian Polka and Vocalise. Great Composers: ...

Antonio Vivaldi was a Baroque style composer and violinist born in Venice, Italy, spending most of his life there. Antonio's father, Giovanni Battista taught young Antonio to play the violin and then toured Venice playing the violin with him. Antonio's parents did not earn much money and they had a large family of 9 children to support. Antonio Vivaldi's works include over 500 concertos, 73 sonatas, 46 operas, and many psalms and hymns. Very little is known about Vivaldi's private life, but we know that he never married. There is also no evidence of anything but him leading a dedicated, hardworking, and highly productive life. He wrote, directed and produced operas in Venice and throughout Italy. Sadly, at age 61, Vivaldi had to sell his manuscripts to finance his final tr...

Born into a musical dynasty, December 22, 1858, Giacomo Puccini wrote his first opera at age 26. It was called "Le Villi", an eastern European legend of witches with vampiric tendencies. It was a hit. He went on to create La Bohème, Tosca, Madama Butterfly, and Turandot. Puccini loved modern technology. He kept up a regular correspondence with inventor, Thomas Edison (1847-1931), who was a good friend. When he was a teenager, Puccini went to hear a performance of Verdi's Aida. From that moment on he knew that what he wanted to do was write operas. Great Composers:Giacomo Puccini is the seventh of our series of incredible composers. What a great way to introduce your children to classical music. Each eBook in this series is meant to not be overwh...

Giuseppe Verdi had many difficult struggles throughout his life. Luigia Uttini was Verdi's mother. She was a spinner. Carlo Giuseppe Verdi was his father. He was an innkeeper. Verdi showed an early interest in music but his parents didn't have the money for him to take lessons. Verdi had one sister named Giuseppa who died at a young age. In 1836 he married Margherita, one of his pupils. Both of their children, daughter Virginia and son Icilio, died in infancy. Another tragedy followed. His wife died at the age of 26. Verdi was devastated. He nearly gave up, but was encouraged by a story, and in 1842 saw its successful production. His works became known for their strong, sad stories, and serious drama. Great Composers:Giuseppe Verdi is the eighth of our series...

Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky is known as the most popular Russian composer in history. He was one of the great composers of the Romantic era. His work includes the “The Sleeping Beauty” and “The Nutcracker.” He also wrote "Peter and the Wolf," "Romeo and Juliet" and "The 1812 Overture." Tchaikovsky wrote classical music in a variety of genres. He composed symphonies, operas, concertos, chamber music, choral music, overtures, suites and ballets. Tchaikovsky's music has always been loved by many for its tuneful, inspirational, showy and impressive melodies. When Pyotr was just 5 years old, he began taking piano lessons. His father, Ilya, worked as a mine inspector and metal works manager and his mother Alexandra was half French. His mot...

Frédéric Chopin is considered Poland's greatest composer of the Romantic period. Chopin's mother, a piano teacher, introduced him to the piano at a very young age. By the time he was six, he played extremely well and was starting to compose. He gave his first concert at the age of eight. Frederic became a child prodigy. He was better than his piano teacher after only a few years of lessons. Most of Chopin's music was written for piano. He wrote 59 mazurkas, 27 études, 27 preludes, 21 nocturnes and 20 waltzes. Much of Chopin’s music is very beautiful and joyful. However, it can also be very angry as well. Chopin died in 1849 from tuberculosis, at the age of 39. Mozart's Requiem was performed at his funeral. Great Composers: Frédéric Chopi...

Baroque composer George Frideric Handel was born on the 23rd of February 1685, the same year as Bach, in Halle, Germany. George was the son of a barber-surgeon. His father had definite plans for his son. He wanted George to become a lawyer, but George loved music. His father would not even permit him to own a musical instrument. When he was 7 years old, George's aunt gave him a spinet (an early harpsichord that had a single keyboard and only one string for each note.) George and his aunt hid the spinet in the attic and whenever George had a chance he would go to the attic to play. One day, George's father brought him to the court. There, George had an opportunity to play the organ. When the Duke heard George play, he commanded Handel's father to see to it that George had the best poss...

YorkIgor Fyodorovich Stravinsky, known as "Stravinsky", was a Russian-American composer, pianist and conductor who is most famous for his three ballets, The Firebird, Petrushka and The Rite of Spring. He is considered one of the most important and popular composers of the 20th century. Despite their musical backgrounds, his parents did not want him to follow in their footsteps. They asked him to go into law instead. In 1925, Stravinsky first visited the United States. He finally moved there permanently in 1939 and later became an American citizen. He chose to settle in Los Angeles and he remained there for the rest of his life. During this time, he met Walt Disney. His composition, TheRite of Spring, was included in Disney's Fantasia

Johann Sebastian Bach was a famous classical music composer from the Baroque period. He was one of the greatest composers of classical music ever, writing over 1000 pieces of music. The year of his death marked the end of the Baroque Era. He may be remembered long after other composers because, in 1977, the Voyager spacecraft was launched into space carrying recordings of three pieces by Bach. He was thrown into prison by his boss (the Duke in Wiemer) for accepting another job with better pay. His music is so amazing that much of it can be played in many different ways and still sound right. For example, much of Bach’s music sounds wonderful whether you play it fast, slow, loud, or quiet. Great Composers: Johann Sebastian Bach is the first of our series of incredible ...

Ludwig van Beethoven was a German composer and pianist born in Bonn, Germany. His father was a singer and Beethoven's first teacher. Ludwig began to study music at the age of 4. It was known early in his childhood that he was a musical genius. When he was 10 years old his first published composition appeared. At age 30, Beethoven began to go deaf. He was unable to play the piano or conduct any more. He carried on composing, however, and created some of his greatest works after becoming totally deaf. Some of his most important works were composed during the last 10 years of his life. Beethoven's music was full of emotions: some seemed be angry and stormy or peaceful and beautiful. Because Beethoven knew what music sounded like, he was able to "hear" the music in his mind even...

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart wrote over 600 works during his lifetime, including 41 symphonies, Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, and 27 piano concertos. At age 4 Mozart began keyboard lessons, and, by age 5, he was composing short pieces. At this very young age, he mastered keyboard and violin, and entertained the social elites including royalty throughout Europe. He was traveling all over Europe playing music by the time he was six. Because of his constant travels, Mozart eventually learned to speak fifteen different languages. On December 5, 1791, Mozart died at 35 years of age of kidney failure, leaving behind a collection of more than 600 compositions, including works for the symphony, the piano, and the opera. Some of these pieces are considered to be the finest works in the Classical period...

Literary techniques are the constructions of language used by an author to convey meaning. These techniques make the story more interesting to the reader. It is crucial that students learn to identify and understand these constructions. Familiarity with these techniques will prepare them not only for standardized tests, but also for their future education. The understanding of these devices will help students get more enjoyment from the fiction they read—both in and out of the classroom situation. This comprehensive unit uses examples from classic and modern literature to introduce and reinforce these techniques.

Each term is defined. One or more examples are given from classic and/or modern literature. Students are then given opportunities to identify, explain, and use the technique.

Ben and Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos was written by Robert Lawson. It is a great way to introduce historical fiction to intermediate-grade readers. This literature unit for Ben and Me was originally part of the teacher resource entitled From the First Day of School to the Last: April. Each set of Chapter Questions is followed by follow-up activities that encourage critical and creative thinking. Answers to the comprehension questions are provided.

These logic problems were designed to improve students’ deductive-reasoning and other critical-thinking skills. They also improve memory and reading-comprehension skills and encourage students to expand their vocabularies. The logic mysteries are divided into three levels, with Level I containing the easiest problems and Level III containing the most difficult. Also provided is a template for students to create their own logic mysteries.

Students should work on most of these mysteries alone, in pairs, or in small groups. Groups can compete against each other to see which group can solve the problem first. You may also want to do a few on the board as a whole-class activity. In this case it is probably best not to give students their own copies. Instead, have students listen carefully and perhaps jot down a note or two as you read the story and the clues. As an extra challenge, do a few without filling in the matrix on the board. Students must listen carefully and try to remember the information in the story and the clues! You will probably want to start with easier ones for this option. Another option is to have students take a problem home to do as a family activity.

Students should read the introduction to each mystery carefully. Explain that some of the information given here probably will be needed to solve the mystery. Instruct students to use context clues to figure out any new vocabulary words which appear and to use their dictionaries if they still aren’t sure of the meaning.

A Hints for Solving Logic Mysteries sheet is provided for duplication.

The following should be kept in mind as students work on these mysteries: • Names that are usually girls’ names can be assumed to be girls’ names. • Names that are usually boys’ names can be assumed to be boys’ names. • It is sometimes necessary to re-read the introduction. There may be important information not repeated in the clues. • Some clues may not be used to solve the mystery. • Some clues may be useful later on when more facts are known. • A matrix (grid) helps organize the information. • It sometimes helps to make a diagram (i.e., a seating chart).

Grades 2-4

Price: $12.95]]>Sat, 16 Mar 2019 16:37:37 CDTPublisher: Passkey Press

Three levels are included to fit the ability of the student. Students who do not need to begin with level 1, can start with level 2 or level 3, dependent upon their skill level.

Level 1: Place the shapes in the bed of the truck. Have the student find and place the sign to go on its door.

Level 2: Place the sign on the truck and have the student find the correct shapes to place in its bed.

Level 3: For students who can read:

Place the written sign on the door and have the student find the correct shape pieces.

Place the shapes in the truck and have the student find the correct written sign to place on the door.

Independent work: Let the student take the game and pieces to their table and place all the pieces.

Level 4: Color Sorting: Sort the shapes according to color into the correct truck bed.

To use as a Group Activity: Use the door signs for game cards and the shapes as game pieces.

Give each student a truck and a set of six shapes in a particular color to match the colored shape on the vehicle. Set the cards on the table in a stack (or hold in your hand if the student has a problem with cards on the table.)

Each student will draw a card from the stack on the table or from your hand. With each draw, they will place the piece in the bed of the truck. If they have the shape in that color already, they lose their turn and the student to their right will draw. The game will continue until all the pieces are placed in the truck.

Use the white truck for extra colors and shapes. Extra shapes are included at the end of the game.

Heritage Breed Chicken Copywork in Cursive Handwriting

These awesome chicken handwriting pages are perfect for:

Unit studies

Cursive handwriting

Notebooking

Learning about chickens

This book of chicken handwriting pages was created by Isabella Grace at Heritage Grove Academy Homeschool. She has included photos of our chickens along with lots of information to help kids learn about heritage breed chickens.

Includes a chicken breed word search.

We love to use fun subjects that interest the kids while they practice their handwriting and we hope you enjoy it too!

Price: $3.45]]>Wed, 13 Mar 2019 19:21:54 CDTPublisher: Passkey Press

Early learners and students with Autism will enjoy feeding the kitty letters, colors, shapes and numbers!

Price: $3.50]]>Tue, 12 Mar 2019 16:23:58 CDTPublisher: Kirsten West

Mental Math & Word Problems can be the best part of your child's day!

This first worksheet in the Doodles Do Algebra (TM) curriculum is part of a set of lessons which start a child out with a series of mental math exercises. Before kids learns about unknowns and how to simplify polynomials, it is really helpful to give them familiarity and confidence “mentally” solving problems that usually are taught as algebra problems with written steps.

A way to make math actually fun!

I discovered, after fielding years and years of repeated forms of the “why do I have to know how to do this?” questions, that children just take to algebra straight away when I took them through a number of mental math problems first. It was also quite surprising how easily they (and I) could do the problems without pencil and paper.

Anyone can teach their children Algebra!

The Doodles Do Algebra(TM) series of lessons is designed for minimal teacher involvement, but the methodology for teaching each lesson is clearly explained. I also add different ways of thinking about and explaining the lessons so that whether your child is gifted, or dyslexic, or prefers nearly any learning style, you will have a toolset to draw from as you teach. Most everything the child needs to learn comes from the Doodle cartoon that explains the lesson of the day.

I wrote the entire series of Algebra lessons to teach my own children Algebra I and Algebra II, but the individual worksheets are wonderful for reinforcing concepts you are teaching with an alternate curricula.

Got a creative-minded child? My kids like to color in the Doodle Cartoon character each day and give them hats and crazy facial expressions. It is a fantastic way to etch the algebra concept of the day into their memory.

My Book About Spain takes elementary students to the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Zaragoza. It introduces kids to the past and present of these places through simple print copywork exercises and shares ways kids can pray for the nation of Spain. 15 pages total. Related products: See other products in the My Book About series.

My Book About Spain takes elementary students to the cities of Madrid, Barcelona, Seville, and Zaragoza. It introduces kids to the past and present of these places through simple cursive copywork exercises and shares ways kids can pray for the nation of Spain. 15 pages total. Related products: See other products in the My Book About series.

Meet 24 of the most famous kings and queens of England with this fun coloring book. Learn about King Alfred the Great, King Aethelred II (the Unready), King Cnut (Canute), King Harold II, King William I (the Conqueror), King Richard I (the Lion Heart), King John, King Henry V, King Richard III, King Henry VII, King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I, Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, King Charles I, King Charles II, King William III, Queen Mary II, Queen Anne, King George II, Queen Victoria, King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II, plus make a stop at Westminster Abbey in this history-themed coloring book. There are 25 coloring pages with large cursive, traceable copywork. It’s a great way to work some history and handwriting practice into your day. 28 pages total.

Meet 24 of the most famous kings and queens of England with this fun coloring book. Learn about King Alfred the Great, King Aethelred II (the Unready), King Cnut (Canute), King Harold II, King William I (the Conqueror), King Richard I (the Lion Heart), King John, King Henry V, King Richard III, King Henry VII, King Henry VIII, Queen Mary I, Queen Elizabeth I, King James I, King Charles I, King Charles II, King William III, Queen Mary II, Queen Anne, King George II, Queen Victoria, King George V, King George VI, and Queen Elizabeth II, plus make a stop at Westminster Abbey in this history-themed coloring book. There are 25 coloring pages with large print, traceable copywork. It’s a great way to work some history and handwriting practice into your day. 28 pages total.

With the Diseases of the Human Body Notebooking Journal, students have the opportunity to investigate 59 diseases and injuries from 7 different body systems. By learning about what can go wrong with the circulatory system, digestive system, endocrine system, muscular system, nervous system, respiratory system, and skeletal system, students can learn more about how each system is designed to work. Space is given for students to record the causes, symptoms, and treatment of each disease. 63 pages total.

Help students learn the terminology of human body systems with this print copywork. Students copy 67 keywords and their definitions, covering 6 systems. Each copywork page also includes a border with geometric patterns that students can color and use to design patterns if they wish. There are 12 keywords from the circulatory system, 13 from the respiratory system, 16 from the digestive system, 13 from the nervous system, 6 from the muscular system, and 7 from the skeletal system. 80 pages total.

Help students learn the terminology of human body systems with this cursive copywork. Students copy 67 keywords and their definitions, covering 6 systems. Each copywork page also includes a border with geometric patterns that students can color and use to design patterns if they wish. There are 12 keywords from the circulatory system, 13 from the respiratory system, 16 from the digestive system, 13 from the nervous system, 6 from the muscular system, and 7 from the skeletal system. 80 pages total.

With the Musical Instruments Around the World Notebooking Journal, students have the opportunity to investigate 100 musical instruments from numerous countries and six continents. From the alboka, alphorn, and angklung to the xylophone, yueqin, and zaqq, students can record the instrument family, country of origin, and other facts about each instrument. Each notebooking page includes a picture of the instrument that can be colored if desired. 103 pages total.

With the Black History Notebooking Journal, students have the opportunity to investigate 96 black leaders from history. Space is given for students to record the date and place of birth, date and place of death (if deceased), interesting facts about the individual, and his or her significant contribution to history. A blank page is also included for the student to include additional leaders not covered in this book. 99 pages total.

The story of the American Revolution, from the end of the French & Indian War through the early days of the new nation, is shared in this HUGE resource that includes coloring pages and copywork. Discover the events that led to the war; key people involved such as Benjamin Franklin, James Otis, Mercy Warren Otis, Crispus Attucks, Paul Revere, Major General William Howe, Baron von Steuben, the Marquis de Lafayette, Joseph Brant, Molly Pitcher, Nathanael Greene, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, and many others; major battles; everyday life; and so much more. There are 102 coloring pages with large cursive, traceable copywork. It’s a great way to work some history and handwriting practice into your day. You can even display the finished pages around the room as a way to see the story unfold. 105 pages total.

The story of the American Revolution, from the end of the French & Indian War through the early days of the new nation, is shared in this HUGE resource that includes coloring pages and copywork. Discover the events that led to the war; key people involved such as Benjamin Franklin, James Otis, Mercy Warren Otis, Crispus Attucks, Paul Revere, Major General William Howe, Baron von Steuben, the Marquis de Lafayette, Joseph Brant, Molly Pitcher, Nathanael Greene, Thaddeus Kosciuszko, and many others; major battles; everyday life; and so much more. There are 102 coloring pages with large print, traceable copywork. It’s a great way to work some history and handwriting practice into your day. You can even display the finished pages around the room as a way to see the story unfold. 105 pages total.

Help students learn about the Underground Railroad with 19 coloring pages with large cursive copywork that is perfect for young writers. They can learn about plantations, slave ships, the Little Dipper, runaway slaves, Harriet Tubman, safe houses, and more. This is a great way to combine history and handwriting practice. Twenty-two pages total.

Help students learn about the Underground Railroad with 19 coloring pages with large print copywork that is perfect for young writers. They can learn about plantations, slave ships, the Little Dipper, runaway slaves, Harriet Tubman, safe houses, and more. This is a great way to combine history and handwriting practice. Twenty-two pages total.

Explore the Renaissance with these sixteen fun puzzles including number puzzles, word searches, word puzzles, matching, crossword, timelines, and more. A bonus notebooking page and writing prompt about Leonardo da Vinci is also included. Learn about mathematicians, painters, sculptors, architecture, music, authors, explorers, cities, and much more with this 42-page unit.

Introduce your students to some of the leaders of the Renaissance with 21 coloring pages with large cursive copywork that is perfect for young writers. Meet leaders from Italy, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, England, and Spain including Donatello, Gutenberg, da Vinci, Copernicus, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and more. This is a fun way to combine history and handwriting practice. Twenty-four pages total.

Introduce your students to some of the leaders of the Renaissance with 21 coloring pages with large print copywork that is perfect for young writers. Meet leaders from Italy, Portugal, Germany, Netherlands, Poland, England, and Spain including Donatello, Gutenberg, da Vinci, Copernicus, Michelangelo, Shakespeare, and more. This is a fun way to combine history and handwriting practice. Twenty-four pages total.